Rick Santorum has said he’ll continue campaigning all week, but has released his schedule only through Tuesday. Today: Creston, Osceola and Indianola. Tuesday: Pella, Mount Pleasant, Davenport and Bettendorf.
Note: Candidates frequently announce visits or change schedules on short notice. Keep up to date by checking our candidate calendar at DesMoines Register.com/caucus, or use our Iowa caucuses iPhone app.

Campaign who’s who

CALEB HEDEEN, 18, EARLY, IA.

Title: Sac County campaign chairman for Michele Bachmann

What he does: Hands out fliers, organizes campaign events in the county and does anything else necessary to persuade voters to support Bachmann and drive turnout at the caucuses.

Education: High school graduate of Harvest Baptist School in Fort Dodge.

From the campaign trail

Candidates, reporters get acquainted in Sioux City

Why politics? “People complain about things that are going wrong, and they don’t do anything about it. I wanted to do something about it. I believe (Bachmann) is a constitutional conservative. She’s strong in what she believes in, and she doesn’t budge on what she believes.”

The Republican presidential candidate debate Thursday night in Sioux City put candidates, operatives, other political notables and reporters in close quarters at a hotel of choice, the Hilton Garden Inn in Sioux City.

Los Angeles Times political writer Seema Mehta was getting in some miles in the exercise room Thursday when Ron Paul popped in to get in a workout himself.

“The dangers of going to a hotel gym in Iowa — running into one prez candidate and two sources while you are sweating on a treadmill,” Mehta tweeted.

Ex-candidate Tim Pawlenty cracked jokes in an elevator about his short-lived campaign.

One man told him after the debate, “You’re always welcome in Iowa!”

“That’s not what they said in Ames,” Pawlenty quipped.

When the debate spin room had emptied, the bar at the hotel restaurant, Bev’s, became the place to hash through the night again, this time with a glass of wine.

While filling up a coffee cup in the morning at the breakfast buffet, a reporter could find out what the Romney operatives are reading these days (“Tell Newt to Shut Up: Prize-Winning Washington Post Journalists Reveal How Reality Gagged the Gingrich Revolution,” by David Maraniss).

Or you could try to press Gingrich campaign chairwoman Linda Upmeyer about which candidate her fellow House GOP leader, Kraig Paulsen, will endorse. But you won’t always get answers. “I know nothing,” she said with a grin.

— Jennifer Jacobs

Quotable

“Santa, I’ve been so good this year! All I want for Christmas is to win the Iowa caucuses!”— Michele Bachmann, who ran into Santa Claus during a campaign visit to Estherville on Saturday. “I will try my best,” Santa replied.